AIA - Grand Rapids Chapter

The Ada Christian School Outdoor Education project consists of a 2,591 square foot outdoor education classroom addition with an attached 586 square foot greenhouse space.  Ada Christian School developed a comprehensive Outdoor Education program along with the greenhouse space designed to allow natural light and for outdoor projects to be brought in and explored. Several ponds were created to promote diverse aquatic environments, and historically accurate Native American and American Pioneer dwellings were constructed in addition to an educational barn auditorium.  The new spaces created by the program provide daily hands-on experience with nature for elementary students:

- A 24’ by 24’ heated greenhouse with vented roof- intended to start and foster plant growth and study
- 136 linear feet of raised beds in mobile hoop houses to dramatically extend the growing season
- Covered but open air learning spaces
- Permanent and  Vernal ponds to promote and accommodate diverse aquatic environments from amphibians to waterfowl
- Michigan Native American dwellings and a cultural education area
- Hand-hewn Michigan homestead/pioneer cabin with root cellar
- Numerous pathways, raised bed gardens, two ponds, trees, sculptures and habitat tunnels
- A natural prairie space room for prayer and contemplation

The greenhouse, being the most distinctive addition, is utilized in all seasons and heated for cooler temperatures, with a retractable, vented roof for warm days. The greenhouse will
be used to foster plant growth and study, bringing the outdoors closer to the classroom while simultaneously allowing natural light into the building.

“These additions to the school grounds are to enhance the programs Ada Christian School has already been conducting. Heading outdoors leads to wonder and awe of our creation and, most importantly, our Creator. Through this project, Dan Vos Construction has built a great contribution to Ada Christian School and its students for generations to come.”  

- Melissa Brower, Ada Christian Principal

The tenant build out for Express Employment Professionals involved a relocation to an expanded tenant space and HVAC updates to the existing vacant space. The new office offers more space and fulfills a wish-list of items for a busy and growing staff;

Client welcome area
Reception area with new interior vestibule
Training room and break out areas
Rest rooms and kitchen facilities
11 Individual offices
Open office meeting stations

This project included a complete demolition and exposure of existing roof structure. A re-build of the space was completed within two months.

FTCH completed the conceptual design for a new, mixed-use two-building development as part of the revitalization of the Grand Rapids’ West Side. Half of the development will house a new brewery, a distillery tasting room, and a restaurant. The other of the two buildings in the complex will be five stories and will contain retail space and about 35 apartments.

The Gateway Development will include:

· Parking

· 1st floor retail

· Apartments

· Offices

The New Holland Brewing Company project will include:

· Exterior beer garden

· Retail store

· Restaurant

· Whiskey bar

· Kitchen

· Distilling/brewing process facility

General Dynamics invited FTCH to design a new collaboration facility for their Land Systems Division in fall 2009. The campus includes the main office and research and development facility. At 13,000 sf, this facility represents a small fraction of the total building area it was designed within, which was several hundred thousand square feet. However, the significance of this facility to the futures of General Dynamics, Southeast Michigan, and the United States is much greater than the project size would suggest. This importance stems from what happens inside this facility.

This new facility serves two primary purposes. First, it is the front door for visitors to General Dynamic’s facilities in Michigan. Second, this facility is the nexus for new ideas between their design team members and those outside the firm. It is a creative collaboration center providing space to formulate ideas, develop collaborative design concepts, and ultimately, construct and test design.

The design and construction of this facility embodies the notion of collaborative creativity. This project’s role is well beyond the notion of providing adequate space for the activities that will take place in it. This facility was truly meant to bring out creative thinking, in particular, hightech thinking. In addition, the facility provides extensive flexibility that will promote free thinking and allow for rapid changes in thinking, developing, and testing. General Dynamics Land Systems decided to proceed with an additional phase for the MC2 facility. FTCH was exclusively asked to design the new phase.

MTU envisioned a new campus facility to house aquatic research laboratories and classrooms, and support researchers and students working with Great Lakes biological, chemical, and physical studies. The facility would be designed and equipped in support of instruction, experimental laboratories, and outreach efforts. Students using this facility would learn in an environment providing state-of-the-art technologies and laboratories.

FTCH provided A/E design services throughout the entire project, from initial programming validation to construction administration. FTCH interviewed MTU researchers and staff to validate and update a preliminary program that had been previously developed.  A schematic design was developed, resulting in a 55,000-sf, 4story building that includes 11,500 sf of laboratory space and a docking and marina area for the University’s research vessels. The building is located on a compact site on the lower elevations of campus, on the shore of Portage Lake, immediately adjacent to the waters of the Keweenaw Waterway.

FTCH also developed the programming statement and  schematic design package for funding submittal through the State of Michigan Capital Outlay program. Consultants to FTCH in the project design, included Research Facilities Design of San Diego, California (laboratory design) and M. C. Smith and Associates of Grand Rapids, Michigan (site and landscaping design).

The mechanical design for the facility utilizes a unique system which draws hot water from a heat exchanger/economizer placed in a boiler stack of the nearby campus central heating plant. This heat, which would otherwise be wasted in the boiler stack, is utilized for the majority of heating equipment in the building. Boilers provide higher temperature water for radiant floor heating in selected areas.

The design included the addition of a University data center to the project. The data center houses servers that provide system redundancy to the University, as well as high powered research computing for the facility,  in a configuration permitting future upgrades to a Tier 3 design.

This project consists of the complete renovation of an existing 43,000 SF office space and 965 SF addition into high-end office space for a world wide trading institute and data center. Finish product includes lighting from multiple manufacturer's such as www.cooperlighting.com, www.brucklightingsystems.com, www.spilighting.com, www.louispoulsen.com.

This high end tenant fit out was designed to LEED silver certification for commericial interiors.

Lighting Design / EE:  www.wpf-engineering.com

Lighting Products: www.energielighting.com, www.atlantic-lighting.com, www.rsalighting.com, www.zumtobel.us, www.cooperlighitng.com

Hagerty Classic Insurance Company’s newest facility is located on one of the last remaining vacant sites in downtown Traverse City. Assuring the highest and best use for this site while enhancing the street scape was a key task for the project team. Situated next to an existing five-story condominium, the building gestures toward its neighbor and creates a continuity of scale and materials while at the same time significantly improving the pedestrian environment. The design emphasizes the pedestrian scaled character of downtown Traverse City and stretches the current urban fabric from the Front Street shopping district to the newer developments south along Cass Street. Canopies and large glass windows engage the design with the street level, creating a transparency between interior and exterior.

Inner City Christian Federation will be relocating their headquarters to the newly renovated building, providing meeting rooms and interactive learning environments, as well as enhancing staff synergy as program and administrative staff work side by side. Restored and reoccupied the building will extent the vision of the original donor, D.A. Blodgett. ICCF’s service for homeless persons and inadequately housed families in Grand Rapids will continue the legacy of a wonderful “Home for Homeless Children”.

Multi-tenant medical office building adjacent to residential community.

The Michigan Street Development project is inclusive of several building components; Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion, Tower 35, Tower 25, Secchia Medical Center and a multi-level Parking Ramp. 

The Midtown Neighborhood Association hired Nederveld along with Lott3Metz Architecture and Past Perfect of Grand Rapids to lead a visioning process in the Brikyaat quarter of the Midtown Neighborhood in Grand Rapids.  The process allowed residents, business owners and neighborhood investors to identify their “ideal community” for use in forming plans for the future  configuration of the neighborhood. 

The resulting master plan includes a reconfigured farmers market on the east side of the neighborhood, proposed multi-family to transition from the market to the existing preserved single-family homes, and sensitive residential infill to the existing urban fabric.  Additionally, the Fulton Street Business Corridor is augmented with mixed-use infill buildings with storefronts at the street level.

Planning is now complete for the project and the final phase of the project is commencing.  This implementation phase will integrate the concept plan into an area specific plan that will become part of the City of Grand Rapids Master Plan.  This will become one of the first area specific plans to be implemented in Grand Rapids from a neighborhood scale.

Knollwood is Holland Township’s first neo-traditional community.  The first phase of the project is currently under construction, and upon completion will have 120 homes, all with front porches and traditionally inspired details. Approximately half of the homes will have garages located on narrow alleys.  The neighborhood plan is based on a gridded street layout forming pedestrian scaled blocks.  A central park is defined by tree-lined streets and single family homes.  This two acre park features a pavilion and  a swimming pool, with the pavilion acting as a terminal vista to the entry street.  Streets have sidewalks on both sides to encourage pedestrian connection throughout the neighborhood.

Challenge:
Working in a very small site in a residential area with an extremely aggressive time frame, less than a year from design to complete construction package

• four-story patient wing and surgery expansion and renovation

• 132 private bedrooms in various specialties

• 14 new state-of-the-art OR’s

• LEED certified facility

• 36-bed PACU suite
 
• interior healing garden space

• total estimated project cost $34M

• East Grand Rapids, MI

Challenge:
Work with the executive team to create a comprehensive plan that fits with the growth and community of the facility

• consultant for a facility master plan update for the 211 bed facility
 
•  worked to prioritize two-phase master plan, creating guiding principles to create a community

• planning was for a new oncology center and front entry, expansion was for surgery and a bed tower

•  other focus was how to expand into the other facility

•  helped to create the framework for a sustainable campus

•  worked to create opportunities for donations to green campus

•  created opportunities for community support of the vision of growth

•  phase I implementation was $3.8M

•  Petoskey, MI

The JW Marriott provides a beautiful architectural detail to the Grand Rapids skyline. Utilizing Blue lighting details on each floor create an eye catching element for our community to enjoy.